Sharing, Teaching, Listening, Preparing....

On this day in Orosi, I shared; I taught; I listened; and, I prepared.

With the morning sun draped over my shoulders, I sat in a small classroom with several other volunteers and shared a time of devotions and encouragement and singing songs. It was a prayer answered. I had been yearning for fellowship. How good and right it feels to praise God together! As the Ticans say, gracias a Dios (thanks to God). He provides.

My teammates and I taught our small practicum class how to order spaghetti and meatballs in a restaurant. No, not espaghetti; it's ssssssspaghetti. (Latinos have an awfully hard time beginning a word with "s.") How much I enjoy teaching English! The practice that I had last semester with the refugee organization in Indy and with the elementary school students in G-burg has proven invaluable. I have a lot of confidence and prior experience to draw back on. Not to mention, WorldTeach has provided a surplus of resources and training. But, most of all, I think that I enjoy teaching language because it is a powerful and stimulating subject. The more we know about our own language or about another language, the better we become at expressing ourselves and understanding the wide world around us.

I listened intently as one of my host sisters shared what she hopes to become when she grows up. Normally a shy and withdrawn girl, I was quite surprised when I was able to elicit more than a one word response from her. After divulging that she desires to become an orthodontist AND a lawyer, I simply asked, "why?" She looked over her shoulder and smiled timidly. Filling the silence, I quickly asked, "do you really like teeth?" She nodded in approval. "But, why a lawyer?" I prodded. Pausing, she replied, "para sacar la gente inocente." I smiled broadly in approval. What a beautiful heart she has! She wants to be a lawyer so that she can set free the innocent. It is further proof that the family that I am living with here in Orosi are such good people. I can't begin to name the number of times that they have gone out of their way to help me. Gracias a Dios.

Just a few minutes ago, I sat here on my bed in a Costa Rican home located in the beautiful valley of Orosi, and prepared my lesson plan for tomorrow's English class. Tomorrow, my group switches from the fourth grade to the first grade for the final two days of practicum. I'm excited to compare and contrast the two widely different age groups. And then, somewhere in the midst of writing my lesson, it hit me: I am living in Costa Rica and teaching English. And, I'm really enjoying it! What a privilege! This is one year that I will never forget. Likewise, I hope that for you dear reader, this year holds excitements and challenges that will not leave you the same.